tag:www.kickstarter.com,2008-10-09:/projects/1234131468/machine-of-death-the-game-of-creative-assassinatio/postsKickstarter: Machine of Death: The Game of Creative Assassination2014-12-01T12:41:53-05:00tag:www.kickstarter.com,2008-10-09:Post/10697532014-12-01T12:43:59-05:002014-12-05T17:26:37-05:00Secret Artbook infoThis post is for backers only. Please visit <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/malki/machine-of-death-the-game-of-creative-assassinatio/posts/1069753">Kickstarter.com</a> and log in to read.tag:www.kickstarter.com,2008-10-09:Post/10697062014-12-01T12:41:40-05:002014-12-05T17:26:21-05:00Machine of Death ARTBOOK download!<p>Many of you got this in physical form when you received your games. Now, there is a digital version for everyone!</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2993041">
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<a href="https://gumroad.com/l/modartbook" target="_blank">Machine of Death ARTBOOK</a> on Gumroad</h1><p>The book can be purchased for just <i>$2.99</i> (a $600 value, considering all the cool stuff it's chock-full of). It comes as a delightful downloadable PDF! </p><p><i>(KS Backers, a private update in moments will give you a discount code.)</i></p><p>The Artbook is also available in print, if you like, <a href="http://topatoco.com/mod/" target="_blank">from our TopatoCo store</a>. Just seven bucks! Or, <a href="http://amzn.to/1vLQtzb" target="_blank">ten bucks on Amazon</a>. You can read more about it <a href="http://machineofdeath.net/artbook" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Thanks for being a pal all this time, hope you enjoy!! </p><h1 id="h:other-cool-things-to">OTHER COOL THINGS TO KNOW:</h1><p><b>• Our game is now available to brick-and-mortar retailers <a href="http://gamesalute.com/machine-death-game-creative-assassination" target="_blank">via GameSalute</a>! </b>If your local game store would like to stock MOD, point them toward GameSalute. I think GameSalute distributes worldwide? Or, they will in time, I have been told by a bird.</p><p>•<b> I'm going to be in Austin this weekend! </b>At the <a href="http://dlair.net/austin/webcomic-rampage-sixth-one/" target="_blank"><b>Webcomics Rampage</b></a> event at Dragon's Lair, with lots of other neat artists. If you come too, then I will <i>see you there??</i></p><p>• I've just released my annual bonanza of <b>holiday goods</b> over at <a href="http://wondermark.com/" target="_blank">Wondermark</a> – including new <a href="http://store.wondermark.com/products/cards" target="_blank">holiday cards</a>, <a href="http://store.wondermark.com/products/gaxian-almanac-original-art" target="_blank">original art</a>, and the limited-edition <a href="http://store.wondermark.com/products/the-wondermark-calendar" target="_blank">calendar</a> I make every year (now in Year Eight of this tradition)! If you're interested in those, check out my<a href="http://store.wondermark.com/" target="_blank"> Wondermark store</a>.</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2993090">
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<p>• Sneak peek at an upcoming video!</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2993163">
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<p>SEE YA ON THE FLIPSIDE, HOMESLICE</p>tag:www.kickstarter.com,2008-10-09:Post/10019762014-09-30T01:54:49-04:002014-10-22T09:40:16-04:00Shh, bonus secret info for backers onlyThis post is for backers only. Please visit <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/malki/machine-of-death-the-game-of-creative-assassinatio/posts/1001976">Kickstarter.com</a> and log in to read.tag:www.kickstarter.com,2008-10-09:Post/9902022014-09-30T01:16:27-04:002014-10-07T22:20:19-04:00Machine of Death is OUT NOW!! PLUS: videos, downloads, and my NEW PROJECT :O<p>Friends! </p><p>Murderers!</p><p>Assassinators!! </p><h1 id="h:the-game-is-formally"><b><i>✩✩✩ THE GAME IS FORMALLY OUT NOW </i>✩✩✩</b></h1><div><b><i>In this Update:</i></b></div><ul>
<li><b>THE GAME IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC</b></li>
<li><b>DOWNLOAD THE GAME</b></li>
<li><b>GAME AUDIOBOOK</b></li>
<li><b>UPCOMING APPEARANCES </b></li>
<li><b>SUGGEST A RULE FOR THE RULES SUPPLEMENT</b></li>
<li><b>OH YEAH I HAVE ANOTHER KICKSTARTER</b></li>
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<p>You can get it from any of these places:</p><a href="http://bit.ly/modgca" target="_blank"><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2663308">
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<p><b>CANADIANS:</b> Your best bet shipping-wise is to order it from Snakes &amp; Lattes:</p><a href="http://www.snakesandlattes.com/shop/publisher/246/Wondermark/" target="_blank"><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2663343">
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<p>We are also keeping <a href="http://machineofdeath.net/gca/#get" target="_blank">a list of FLGS retailers</a> that have obtained wholesale copies from us lately – if your <i>store</i> should be on here and isn't, please message me and let me know! The game and expansions will also be entering the regular retail distribution network later this year.</p><p>Most places just stock the base game (blue box) and expansion set (red box). However,<b> <a href="http://topatoco.com/mod" target="_blank">at TopatoCo</a></b>, <b>we are also offering a full suite of <i>à la carte</i> accessories, </b>including <b>new, colorful skull dice</b> (I couldn't resist!), official Mayday Games Premium Sleeves for your cards, and of course the larger world of MOD &amp; <a href="http://topatoco.com/wondermark/" target="_blank">Wondermark merchandise</a>, including books and shirts and posters and whatever.</p><a href="http://topatoco.com/mod" target="_blank"><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2663674">
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</a><p>But hey. Who needs to <i>buy</i> anything? <b>We've also put the game and all its manuals and expansions up for </b><b><a href="http://machineofdeath.net/gca/#download" target="_blank">free download on our site</a>. </b></p>The game is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license, so it's totally fine for you to play around with the mechanics, modify the rules, and make it into anything you like!<a href="http://machineofdeath.net/gca/#download" target="_blank"><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2663374">
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<p>And I have something ELSE for you to download, as well... </p><p>One of our stretch goals promised that <b>we would record a game audiobook.</b> Well, we did, it's done, and it's ready for you to listen to for <i>nearly a full hour!</i></p><div class="template oembed" contenteditable="false" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wY_4FluMzE">
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<p>In this video, Kris and I have a little...<i>trouble</i> with the recording. But we work it out, in the end.</p><p><b>You can listen to all the audio tracks on our website <a href="http://machineofdeath.net/gca/#audiobook" target="_blank">[RIGHT HERE]</a></b></p><p>If you would like to <b><i>download</i> the MP3 files</b> to keep and cherish forever, they're up on Gumroad <b><a href="https://gum.co/modiobook/" target="_blank">[RIGHT HERE]</a></b></p><p>Hopefully this is...helpful for you.</p><p>This leaves just three stretch goals left: the downloadable Artbook, the MC Frontalot song, and the original rules song. Rest assured I have <i>not forgotten.</i></p><h1 id="h:upcoming-appearances"><b>UPCOMING APPEARANCES</b></h1><p><b>• San Francisco:</b> I'll be giving a talk at the <a href="http://tableflip.us/" target="_blank">TableFlip</a> gaming conference,<i> this weekend,</i> <b>Oct 4-5!</b></p><p><b>• Los Angeles:</b> I'll be doing demos at <a href="http://www.indiecade.com/" target="_blank">IndieCade</a> in Culver City, <i>next weekend, </i><b>Oct 11-12!</b></p><p><b>• Austin: </b>I'll be at the Webcomics Rampage event at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dragons.lair.austin" target="_blank">Dragon's Lair</a>, <b>December 6-7!</b></p><p>At Comic-Con this year, and continuing on at GenCon, I had a great idea. I was running demos of our game, and just to keep it interesting for myself, I started <b>retiring each death card after playing a round with it.</b> I even had players sign the card when I was done!</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2663725">
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<p>It's kind of a fun idea, I think – this way you never play the same game twice. And with 200+ death cards included in just the base game alone, you can play PLENTY of games before you ever run out of cards.</p><p>In my opinion, this idea might even make the threshold to be included in the...</p><h1 id="h:machine-of-death-gca">MACHINE OF DEATH GCA RULES SUPPLEMENT 1: <i>House Rules Edition</i>
</h1><p>Yes! I'm going to issue a supplement with additional gameplay ideas and thoughts on the rules, brought about by playing the game a bunch. </p><p><b>WARNING: GAMEPLAY MINUTIAE BELOW THIS POINT. If you are NOT INTERESTED you can skip down to the pie chart, which begins the next topic of discussion.</b></p><p>...Okay, those jerks are gone. JUST US NERDS NOW. So far, here's what will FOR SURE be included in the supplement:</p><p>• When you play the Speed Round, sort through the deck first to cull out the Specialists and Gift Cards that don't work well. (For example, the 'Chief' Specialists.)</p><p>• If you fail to get the kill before time is up, <i>but you still have cards remaining,</i> <b>the game shouldn't end.</b> I think making the game end there was a <i>bad choice</i> on my part. </p><p>Instead, the assassins should re-deal 3 more Gift Cards (if they have them in their budget) and <b>pick up the round exactly where the narrative leaves off</b> at the end of the failed round. The important thing is getting four kills before running out of cards...<i>not</i> necessarily getting four kills in four rounds only. </p><p>• Following as a corollary: if a team is on its fourth target, but has only a very small number of cards remaining, <b>the Chief may give the team additional Gift Cards as needed</b> to begin the round, and (at his or her discretion) may feed them more Gift Cards, as needed, to complete their one final attempt at the kill. (It's in the Chief's best interest to see the target dead, after all!) </p><p>In general, this is part of a larger, looser philosophy that says "It's okay for the Chief to do whatever's needed to keep the game fun." See the decisions I made <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxEQmhQgXUM" target="_blank">in our Skype game</a> for examples of this.</p><p><b>SOME THOUGHTS ON ASSIGNING DIFFICULTY</b></p><p>Questions about assigning difficulty are the most common feedback I've heard from players. It turns out this factor is<i> very dependent</i> on your gaming group, and so it's tough for such a subjective type of rule to work well for every possible player. </p><p>One thing that's in the manual, but I will emphasize again, is that when assigning difficulty, <b>you shouldn't vote</b> and <b>you shouldn't argue</b>. You always go with the hardest difficulty suggested – so you can move on to the rolling! </p><p>If it helps, you can even think about the difficulty numbers using a different metric – "kill points", or something else made-up. Don't let this hang you up! </p><p>It's true that some players are really into puzzling things out with skill and ingenuity and logic, and others are fine with a much looser, sillier structure. If you're of the former type, <b>I recommend playing Chief Mode</b> (having one player be the GM and issue pronouncements for all the difficulty ratings) <b>whenever possible.</b> </p><p>Especially if you're familiar with the game and some other people aren't, this is the best way to help new players get up to speed on the idea of the game. </p><p>It also lets you have fun discussions about logic and planning your kill really intricately, with an authority on hand who can issue the final say (and make any adjustments to play as needed to keep things running smoothly). </p><p><b>The Chief has ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY</b> and can do anything he or she wants – including granting the assassins extra cards, interpreting cards however desired, and OTHER. This is the mode of play that most roleplayers will probably prefer.</p><p>If you don't want to get hung up on difficulty, and are OK with a little more randomness in the game, you may be more of a party-type player. For you, <b>I recommend a new gameplay mode called The Mechanical Chief.</b> Here's a video explaining it!</p><div class="template oembed" contenteditable="false" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St1U5HYS3lQ">
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<p>The gist is: you use a series of <b>omniscient playing cards to take the place of the Chief</b> and assign difficulty ratings each roll! (One thing I didn't mention in the video: If you trade the order of Gift Cards in your plan, move each one's facedown difficulty card along with it.) </p><p>This method of play bypasses ALL POTENTIAL ARGUMENTS and leads instead to INSANE STORIES with UNPREDICTABLE TWISTS. </p><p>If you feel like this would be frustrating, I refer you back to Chief Mode, above. </p><p>I personally like it, because it allows you the chance to justify the random twists and turns with storytelling – kind of like reading tarot, or something. The cards are random, but you can <i>still give them meaning.</i></p><p><b>If you have other suggestions for rule variants, or house rules, or thoughts on these, please leave a comment! I will write up the official supplement soon, incorporating your feedback and suggestions.</b> </p><p>For example, one request I've gotten multiple times is for a more kid-appropriate version of the game (teachers want this especially). What would have to change, if anything? Is the 'difficulty' element too complex to ask kids to figure out? What'd be the best way to port this storytelling mechanic to a classroom or young-audience edition? Let me know your thoughts!</p><p>The variability in possible gameplay is what I'm really glad people have been calling out in our <a href="http://bit.ly/modgca" target="_blank">Amazon.com reviews</a> so far: </p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2663550">
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<p>I'm very grateful to the reviewers who've tried to make it clear what kind of game it is (and isn't!) </p><p>I like this type of review because, of course, I want the people who will like this game to find it. But I <i>also</i> want the people for whom it <i>isn't</i> their cup of tea to save their money! But back to the first thing, I want <i>that</i> to happen <i>more</i>. Thanks to the kind folks who've left reviews! You are BENEFITING THE WORLD.</p><p>Now, speaking of money...</p><h1 id="h:here-is-a-brief-kick">Here Is A Brief Kickstarter Expense Postmortem</h1><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2663824">
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<p>I will keep this exceptionally short. I have had such a wonderful time being in charge of this monstrous project. In the graph above, you can see how all the funds we raised were spent. (If you want to know the exact dollar amounts, apply those percentages to the overall KS total and that'll be really, really close.)</p><p>I'm so pleased to have gained the acquaintance of all you interesting, pleasant people. We are part of a TEAM that has done something pretty great. Thank you for being part of Team MOD, and I hope the box on your shelf is a nice reminder of the thing we accomplished together!</p><p>It's scary participating in a Kickstarter campaign – throwing your money to the wind, as it were – and you have done me a great honor by choosing to be part of this with me. I've met many of you and learned so much from you. I have a lot to learn still! </p><p>I'm glad that this has all worked out as well as it has – hard work paying off, like it's supposed to – and I'm really grateful for your generosity, and your friendship, and your patronage of the independent arts. </p><p>You have proven to be the right people for a guy like me to trust with a year and a half of his life. I don't have another job! This dumb stuff is all I do. And it's been so great to be on the receiving end of the confidence, faith, and kindness of you all. WE ARE DOING GOOD THINGS, HERE.</p><p>I'm only able to do these kinds of things because of your support. We've come really far, and I hope you are enjoying your game, and everything I've shared with you along the way (with more things to come still)! </p><p><i>So...</i></p><h1 id="h:now-is-when-i-ask-yo">Now is when I ask you to TELL EVERYONE TO <a href="http://machineofdeath.net/#get" target="_blank">BUY THIS GAME</a>. </h1><p>Send your friends to <b><a href="http://machineofdeath.net/gca" target="_blank">machineofdeath.net/gca</a></b>, or share one of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0FRle0Rnvw&amp;index=1&amp;list=PL_Tfy_9FGvr0Cw7Ntj3nURNVAee5VHugm" target="_blank"><b>our videos</b></a>, or <a href="http://bit.ly/modgca" target="_blank"><b>leave a review on Amazon</b></a>. (This is both <i>extremely helpful</i> and, you know, <i>free to do</i>.) </p><p>Tell people why you like this game – and if you <i>don't </i>like it, I want you to talk about it too! Tell everyone <i>why</i> this game sucks! Maybe someone with different taste than you will find something they'll enjoy in it. </p><p>Or, grab some <b><a href="http://topatoco.com/mod" target="_blank">game accessories</a></b> for yourself, or another copy of the game to give as a gift! Now that the Kickstarter is essentially over, I WANT TO SELL ALL THESE GAMES. </p><p>That's where I'll start to see a profit from all this, is from selling the copies that are sitting in the warehouse now. SOUNDS...LIKE MY KIND OF CHALLENGE. </p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>Or...if you've just HAD ENOUGH Machine of Death...come check out my new project, on Kickstarter <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/malki/wondermarks-jigsaw-puzzles-of-fictional-victorian" target="_blank">RIGHT NOW</a>. <i><b>I'm making fictional Victorian jigsaw puzzles.</b> </i></p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2663984">
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<p>The puzzle campaign is <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/malki/wondermarks-jigsaw-puzzles-of-fictional-victorian" target="_blank">UP NOW</a> and ends on October 9.</p><p>GO <a href="http://machineofdeath.net/#get" target="_blank">BUY MACHINE OF DEATH</a> </p><p>Or <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/malki/wondermarks-jigsaw-puzzles-of-fictional-victorian" target="_blank">PUZZLES</a></p><p>Thank you and good night and HOORAY FOR MURDERGAME</p>tag:www.kickstarter.com,2008-10-09:Post/9491812014-08-11T21:49:03-04:002014-08-18T00:55:45-04:00GenCon Booth Number CORRECTION: 541<p>Previously I said I would be at GenCon booth 743! In reviewing the FACTS, I have learned that <b>I am instead at booth 541.</b> </p><p>I am not certain if the GenCon management has capriciously removed 202 booths from the convention in the last 48 hours, but absent any contradicting evidence, I am left to believe it must have happened. </p>tag:www.kickstarter.com,2008-10-09:Post/9446672014-08-08T02:18:41-04:002014-08-17T11:58:38-04:00International Game Session Video! ALSO: GEN CON<p>Last week, Kris and I sat down with 'CONTACT' tier backer Nateman from Australia to play some murdergame and tell some jokes and goof around via internet! </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxEQmhQgXUM" target="_blank">We recorded the Google Hangout session</a> for YOUR ENJOYMENT AND MINE:</p><div class="template oembed" contenteditable="false" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxEQmhQgXUM">
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<p>We had a great time and – <i>spoiler alert</i> – at least *one* Olympic commentator has now been removed from our shared earth.<i> Good homicide, Nateman!</i></p><p>I like adding this video to the canon because it presents an entire game session – actually, a longer-than-typical session – from start to finish in a way that our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EzrWXKRaBY&amp;list=UUVYJfBRWHpbTQq7VJAAJXVQ" target="_blank">previous</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RmOZgTMJAM&amp;list=UUVYJfBRWHpbTQq7VJAAJXVQ" target="_blank">videos</a> haven't had the time to do. You can really see how embracing the storytelling element makes the game unfold in a fun way! </p><p>And you can also see the amount of latitude that the Chief (in this video, me) has in determining the direction of the game. It's a really Dungeon-Master-like role, and I've found with a larger or a more varied group, it really helps to have one person take on that role and act as narrator, referee, and, like, the staff member who belays you when you're on some vacation climbing trip in a hot place. The person who's there to make sure you have a good time, and controls the environment as needed to bring that about.</p><h1 id="h:handwriting-the-game">HANDWRITING THE GAME</h1><p><b>YOU MAY RECALL that I also had another ridiculous tier to fulfill </b>-- 'PENNED', in which I promised to hand-write an entire copy of the game and expansions. 960 cards in all!</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2404473">
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<p>It can be argued, especially in retrospect, that this was a dumb idea. BUT THAT...HAS RARELY STOPPED ME.</p><div class="template oembed" contenteditable="false" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOep9hJPB1g">
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<p>The full session of this MASOCHISM EXTRAVAGANZA ended up running twenty-two hours! The teaser above gives you a tiny sense of it, perhaps. We'll have a full video update soon. </p><p>Don't worry, haha, it won't be the entire 22 hours...We can probably get it down to just 3 or 4.</p><h1 id="h:hey-its-almost-gen-c">HEY IT’S ALMOST GEN CON</h1><p>Next week I'll be in Indianapolis for Gen Con! I'm very excited to return, I had such a great time last year. It was neat to meet so many of you, and to see so many cool games!</p><p>Last year was my first year there, and I was kept busy 100% of the whole time behind the table, without a moment's pause. Which is great for business, but it resulted in some longish lines, and I hate having to make people wait. Normally at shows like this, I have at least one person with me in the booth to help out...but I didn't last year. This year, I want to!</p><p><b>IF YOU ARE GOING TO GEN CON ANYWAY</b> <b>and would like to earn a few bucks by helping me behind the table part-time, please send me an email</b> (dave at wondermark dot com)! </p><p>I'd love to schedule a few different people for different chunks of time. If you have run booths before or are familiar with my suite of products, please mention that as well, but it's not a requisite by any means.</p><p>Last year, of course, we hadn't yet received our games from the factory, but now we have! I'll be selling the game, the expansions, and also creating custom cards on demand:</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2404512">
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These are cards that I make up in front of you, relating to some fact or information about yourself, that will be unique to your copy of the game!</p><p>Stop on by <b>BOOTH #743</b> to get your expansion decks, custom cards, or any of my <a href="http://topatoco.com/wondermark" target="_blank">Wondermark stuff</a> or Roll-a-Sketches (drawings that I create based on dice that you roll):</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2404555">
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<p>If you like these drawings, they have a whole <a href="http://rollasketch.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/rollasketch" target="_blank">Facebook</a> of their <i>very own,</i> and I <a href="http://wondermark.com/tag/blog-drawings/" target="_blank">also post them</a> on my comic site <a href="http://wondermark.com/" target="_blank">Wondermark</a>! I also have some of my favorites available as <a href="http://store.wondermark.com/products/postcards" target="_blank">postcards</a>.</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2404600">
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<p>I don't have any formal gameplay sessions planned at Gen Con, because quite honestly I am still figuring out how Gen Con works. But I will be behind the booth basically all the time, so feel free to come up and invite me to whatever! I'm pretty friendly!!</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2404553">
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<h1 id="h:sweet-photo-spotligh">SWEET PHOTO SPOTLIGHT</h1><p>Over at <a href="http://themachineofdeath.tumblr.com" target="_blank">themachineofdeath.tumblr.com</a> we've posted 50 sweet game photos so far. Here is one entry, along with the custom game card I made in return!</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="2404565">
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<p>There are a ton more sweet photos waiting for you on the <a href="http://themachineofdeath.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">MOD Tumblr</a>. </p><p>HOORAY...FOR MURDERGAME</p>tag:www.kickstarter.com,2008-10-09:Post/7804762014-03-17T18:34:34-04:002014-03-26T20:03:08-04:00SecretsThis post is for backers only. Please visit <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/malki/machine-of-death-the-game-of-creative-assassinatio/posts/780476">Kickstarter.com</a> and log in to read.tag:www.kickstarter.com,2008-10-09:Post/7794672014-03-17T18:27:31-04:002014-04-14T08:16:35-04:00Shipping: BASICALLY DONE. Web store: OPEN FOR BUSINESS.<p>Great news! With a few very brief exceptions, <b>OUR SHIPPING IS DONE!!</b></p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="1759814">
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<p>In today's video, I show you a little BEHIND THE SCENES of the shipping process, and give you a lot of newsy-type updates that I will also REITERATE BELOW IN TEXT FORM.</p><div class="template oembed" contenteditable="false" data-href="https://vimeo.com/89348302">
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<ul>
<li><b>1. If you still haven't gotten your game...</b></li>
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<b>2. Wholesale accounts now available!</b>
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<li><b>3. Web store now open!</b></li>
</ul><h1 id="h:point-the-first"><i>POINT THE FIRST</i></h1><p>The few orders that HAVE NOT yet shipped are limited to customized games (Germans or tins) that got sent by the shipping company to the wrong person, and we are now waiting for them to be returned to us, so we can send them on to you instead. </p><p>This is one of the many "I couldn't have made it up if it were fiction" mistakes that drops the jaw of everyone I tell them: how they just took games off a shelf, each <i>specifically labeled with a person's name on it</i>, and shipped them to other, random people. My heartfelt thanks to you other people who have graciously gone out of your way to make sure we get them back.</p><p><b>If you have not yet gotten your game, <a href="http://machineofdeath.net/status/#remaining" target="_blank">please check this list for your initials.</a></b> These are the orders that we <i>have</i> and <i>know about </i>and that are <i>still pending </i>(but will be shipped as soon as we can). If your initials are on the list, no need to do anything, unless you need to change your shipping address. We'll ship it just a few days, I hope.</p><p><b>If your initials are NOT on the list, </b>and we have <i>not</i> otherwise corresponded, please let me know right away, preferably by emailing <b>info at machineofdeath.net</b> (subject line: "Missing Order").</p><h1 id="h:point-the-second"><i>POINT THE SECOND</i></h1><p>Are you a retail store? Do you have a favorite retail store? Are there retail stores in your city? Is your city in the United States? Are you the mayor of a city in the United States? Do you work for the mayor of a city or municipality in the United States? Are you familiar with the concept of retail stores and comfortable simply walking into random ones and issuing cryptic demands? Point the person in charge of purchasing at this link: <b><a href="http://machineofdeath.net/wholesale" target="_blank">machineofdeath.net/wholesale</a></b></p><p>That's where retail stores (just in the U.S., to start with) can <b>sign up for a wholesale account to obtain Machine of Death games for resale. </b></p><p>For example, if you're near Little Rock, Arkansas, stop by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GameGoblins" target="_blank">Game Goblins</a> for all your MOD needs! <i>Is </i>Game Goblins better than your local store, because it now stocks Machine of Death? If your local store is Game Goblins, then no, by definition.</p><h1 id="h:point-the-third"><i>POINT THE THIRD</i></h1><p>The time is nigh for Machine of Death to become available for <b>retail sale to the public.</b> We're going to sell it to game stores, at conventions (such as Emerald City, TCAF, Comic-Con, and Gen Con), and through <a href="http://topatoco.com/mod" target="_blank">our existing TopatoCo store</a> (where you can get T-shirts, books, and posters). We're also going to sell it on Amazon.</p><p>But while we're waiting for the incompetent humans at the shipping company to get dozens of pallets of games out to the Amazon and TopatoCo warehouses, I've set up a little auxiliary web store, the <a href="http://machineofdeath.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Machine of Death Official Procurement Station</a>: </p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="1759779">
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<p>Many of the various bonus items from the Kickstarter are available, as well as the <a href="http://machineofdeath.bigcartel.com/product/kickstarter-upgrade-expansion-decks" target="_blank">"Kickstarter Upgrade Pack"</a> (all the expansion decks that <i>weren't</i> in the Kickstarter base tier). Our newest book THIS IS HOW YOU DIE isn't there, but you can <a href="http://amzn.to/YYIi0m" target="_blank">get it on Amazon</a>. <b>The store is open and ready for your orders.</b></p><p>If you want to get any bonus decks or anything else above and beyond what you've already received, <a href="http://machineofdeath.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">this is where you can</a>! </p><p>If your friends want to get the game now that they've played it with you, <a href="http://machineofdeath.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">this is where <i>they</i> can</a>! </p><p>If you're reading this and you don't already have a copy of the game, <a href="http://machineofdeath.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank"><b>YOU CAN NOW GET IT HERE</b></a>.</p><p><i>There is going to come a day,</i> fine friends, when I'm going to say "The game is formally 'out', and let us trumpet this fact from the rooftops!" That day is not <i>quite</i> here. But you <i>can</i> buy games online, now. What does this make our current moment? How is it defined – is the game 'out' now? How can it <i>not</i> be, when you <i>can indeed </i>buy it right now? This is a point for historians to debate.</p><h1 id="h:finally"><i>FINALLY</i></h1><p>As I mention in the video, <i>this isn't the end</i>...There are still stretch goals and additional content that were sidelined by the shipping, but are now back on my to-do list. </p><p>Top of the list is the <b>fully handwritten game</b> that I owe one lucky (?) backer:</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="1759809">
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<p> It'll be an achievement rivaling those of mighty Herakles, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE. Watch for that in an update coming soon!! </p>tag:www.kickstarter.com,2008-10-09:Post/7524932014-02-19T17:24:19-05:002014-03-12T07:10:09-04:00Custom cards / Shipping Update / Seattle / and SOMETHING RAD<p><b>Hello everyone! <i>IN TODAY'S UPDATE:</i></b></p><ul>
<li>Custom cards photos! (A TEASE)</li>
<li>Shipping update!</li>
<li>Seattle in March – and other conventions in 2014!</li>
<li>THIS IS RAD</li>
</ul><h1 id="h:custom-cards-photos">CUSTOM CARDS PHOTOS</h1><p>It's a great sign that so many people have been posting so many fun photos of their game that it's taken a little bit to go through them all!! I have chosen some new CUSTOM CARD WINNERS and queued them up to post at <a href="http://themachineofdeath.tumblr.com" target="_blank"><b>themachineofdeath.tumblr.com</b></a> over the next week and <i>beyond</i>. One a day, or thereabouts, until we get through all 50! </p><p>(Which means that we have about 7 weeks left for the contest – and I'm <i>certain</i> that everyone still waiting for a game will have theirs by then. The reasons why are in the next section!)</p><p>I posted three custom card winners <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/malki/machine-of-death-the-game-of-creative-assassinatio/posts/720155" target="_blank">in a previous post</a>, but here's a little tease of the next three winners! These are the new cards I created:</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="1654597">
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<p>But who <i>gets</i> these cards?<i> I won't reveal the winners now</i> – you'll have to check in at <a href="http://themachineofdeath.tumblr.com/" target="_blank"><b>the</b><b>machineofdeath.tumblr.com</b></a> over the next couple of days!!</p><p>To enter the contest yourself, <b>post a creative picture</b> (define that however you like) and <b>tweet it with #machineofdeath</b>! If you don't have Twitter, you can also email it to me (<b>info at machineofdeath.net</b>). If you don't have email, how are you even a part of this Kickstarter? </p><p>But I like Twitter because it lets everyone else see it too, just by <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23machineofdeath&amp;src=hash" target="_blank">searching the hashtag</a>!</p><h1 id="h:shipping-update">SHIPPING UPDATE</h1><p>I'm very pleased that, as of my last count a few days ago, <b>only 339 orders</b> remained in our shipping company's "yet to ship" queue! (Not counting reships due to returned packages, of which there are about another 40.) </p><p>Unfortunately, the reason these had not yet been shipped is mostly because they included something special: a personalized certificate, a specific box number, cards in tins or German, things like that.</p><p><b>I hate that!</b> I <i>hate</i> that the people who ordered the most special games are having to wait the longest. But I <i>do</i> think I have finally figured out the reason, <i>and it may surprise you.</i></p><p>A few days ago, I made a video exploring some possible reasons why things are taking so long – seeking a unified theory of slowdown, as it were. Check it out:</p><div class="template oembed" contenteditable="false" data-href="https://vimeo.com/86488639">
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<p>That video was made the day we returned home from the shipping company warehouse, having found a huge pile of orders sitting stalled – and all the rest queued up, unprocessed, behind them – due to questions like "How many spacers are supposed to go in this wooden box?" and "Where is the perfectly unremarkable game that is supposed to go in this order?" and "I dunno, something about a book??"</p><p>My assistant Aimée and I spent six hours packing each order by hand while the warehouse staff looked at us in a completely uninterested (and occasionally condescending) manner. But at least I had confidence that the REMAINDER of the orders had nothing preventing them from shipping immediately, and I could go back to my 12-hours-a-day task of answering emails trying to correct all their<i> prior</i> mistakes.</p><p>CUT TO: Monday afternoon and no progress had been made with the shipments! Also I checked what they were charging me for freight and it's not too different than what I'd pay if I did it myself. Also there have been so many unanticipated issues with their work that I had this gnawing feeling in my gut just <i>dreading</i> what the <i>next</i> one would be.</p><p>So I fired them! </p><p>And told them to put everything on a truck and send it to me!</p><p>And rented the vacant office next door! </p><p>And hired some intelligent people!</p><p>And spent a very late night twisting the shipping company's spreadsheets into a packing list format! </p><p>And now we are shipping everything ourselves.</p><p>Which means <i>this</i> is happening:</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="1654700">
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<p>There are still a handful of hiccups – in a <i>hilarious twist</i>, the request for them to send me everything on a truck took <i>as long for them to process</i> as the orders <i>themselves</i> were taking, which means I'm still waiting for a bunch more to arrive today and tomorrow – but they are now all passing through my (or my trusted minions') hands and thus I actually smiled and laughed a bunch yesterday which is a really nice feeling.</p><p>I don't want to throw the company under the bus too hard – except to clarify that it is <i>not</i> <a href="http://makethatthing.com/" target="_blank">Make That Thing</a>, run by my friends Holly and Sara and which would have done a better job, probably, but which the freight-from-China circumstances precluded us from using – because this company <i>did</i> do an excellent job at one thing: putting a super simple order into a super simple box and repeating that 9,000 times. </p><p>But when we presented them with customized orders, and inventory in low quantities that couldn't tolerate <i>any</i> being lost in the caverns of the warehouse, and similar-looking items that were in fact different inside – and then, furthermore, told them to <i>stop all foreign shipments</i> when I heard about the issues some international backers were having with FedEx deliveries – it was just an anchor dropped through their deck. They <i>completely</i> derailed. In the words of my favorite website, <a href="http://MaritimeIntel.com," target="_blank">MaritimeIntel.com,</a> you might even say the project became in grave danger of "<a href="http://maritimeintel.com/south-korean-investigation-into-collision-between-chemical-tanker-and-car-carrier/" target="_blank">splitting in two</a> and sinking, as the crash left an eight-metre hole on one side and it is tilting at a 20-degree angle."</p><p>If you are interested in writing a business manual with "Lessons For CEOs" and "Management Tips" and "B2B Methodologies Easy To Digest While Browsing This Book At The Airport", here are a few strategies I would <i>not</i> recommend you include:</p><p>• Never have a single human being who understands all parts of a project. Always make sure that responsibilities are divvied between four or, ideally, more than six people so that no single person has a complete understanding of the thing from start to finish.</p><p>• Never empower lower-level employees to solve problems on their own, or institute a system where they can flag them and have them addressed up the chain. Instead, allow problems to sit around unaddressed until someone with power notices and asks about them (or ideally, until the end of the universe, so that way <i>nobody</i> has to deal with it, ever!).</p><p>• Always promise whatever the customer wants to hear so he will stop bugging you, regardless of whether what you have promised is feasible or will actually happen.</p><p>And you know what? I would much rather if there be mistakes, they be <i>my</i> honest mistakes and not <i>dumb</i> mistakes I have to take responsibility for. </p><p>I am super privileged to be (and somewhat spoiled by being!) a self-employed person who can just <i>do</i> things, who can turn on a dime, who can follow my enthusiasm, and who can make decisions based on what is intuitively best for the project. </p><p>Interacting with a monolithic organization where none of those things are true has been a tough process! Because for those people, if something goes wrong, it's bad and you have to hear from me yelling at you all day long, but if something goes well, who cares – you don't care about the product or the campaign, you're just a hired hand. </p><p>The result over time, I think, is that you become a human whose work is a source of net negative experiences. So I think what I saw was people who have learned to stifle their reactions to things going wrong, in order to avoid that average skewing even more negative. Thus, they don't care; thus, your orders were sitting around moldering while I pulled my hair out every day.</p><p>TWO MORE POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR ALL THIS GOING WRONG are:</p><p>• The wizard's curse <i>stretched back in time </i>to YEARS AGO, before I ever CONCEIVED of this game, to when this shipping company was first founded and its hiring and training practices were codified; </p><p>• Or, much more likely, everyone there read <a href="http://bookwar.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">this book by Ryan North</a>:</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="1654832">
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<p>I think they must have given this out in bulk at that place. </p><p>ANYWAY. Everything is solved now forever. Hooray!!</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="1655060">
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<h1 id="h:conventions-2014">
CONVENTIONS 2014</h1><p><b>In about a month I'll be in Seattle for the <a href="http://emeraldcitycomicon.com/" target="_blank">Emerald City Comicon</a>, March 28-30</b>! One of my favorite shows of the year. I'll have the game and the expansions for sale (of course); I will be offering custom cards on demand; and I'll also be involved in the following events:</p><p><b> Machine of Death Draw-and-Guess: </b>"Join cartoonists playing a non-trademarked version of Pictionary, using clues issued from a Machine of Death. The Machine, of course, can tell you exactly how you are going to die in just a few cryptic words!" This panel will be hosted by me and Ryan North, and feature FAMOUS ARTISTS Aaron Diaz, Dylan Meconis, Becky Dreistadt, and Kris Straub! Always a hilarious time. • <i>Friday, March 28, 4:10pm, Hall B</i></p><p><b>How To Sell Merchandise Without Feeling Like You're Selling Out: </b>"As a creator you might be or be thinking about selling merch online but you don't feel like t-shirts are really your 'thing'. Join TopatoCo creators David Malki, Chris Yates, &amp; Dante Shepherd for our talk about creative merch &amp; beyond the ubiquitous T-shirt." I hope by the time the panel rolls around, I will have formulated a clever answer to the question in the panel's title. <i>• Saturday, March 29, 3:00pm, Room TCC 302</i></p><p><b>Urban Dictionary – The Game Show:</b> "What do those terms in Urban Dictionary even mean? Has anybody ever used them before, for realsies?? In this GAME SHOW, our group of panelists attempts to define the weirdest, grossest terms the website has to offer. Mostly they will get it wrong!!" This DEFINITELY 18+ panel will be hosted by me and feature contestants Ryan North, Chip Zdarsky, Erika Moen, and Kate Leth! • <i>Saturday, March 29, 6:10pm, Hall B</i></p><p><b>Professional Tools for Self-Publishers: </b>"Join a pair of independent publishing professionals for a discussion of avenues to self-publishing and tools for bridging the gap between D.I.Y. and traditional publishing models; followed by a Q&amp;A and troubleshooting session for self-publishers." Hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/raebeta" target="_blank">Rachel Edidin</a> of <a href="http://www.wired.com/underwire/author/rachel-edidin/" target="_blank">Wired</a>, and featuring me as well! I'm the other half of the pair!! • <i>Sunday, March 30, 11:00am, ROOM 2B</i></p><p>Later this year I'll also be at:</p><ul>
<li>Toronto Comic Arts Festival, May 10-11</li>
<li>Maker Faire Bay Area, May 17-18 (San Mateo) <i>(tentative)</i>
</li>
<li>San Diego Comic-Con, July 18-21</li>
<li>
Gen Con, August 14-17 (Indianapolis)</li>
</ul><p>But more details on <i>those</i> as they approach!</p><h1 id="h:finally-this-is-supe">FINALLY: THIS IS SUPER RAD</h1><p>MOD backer David Cole tweeted this picture a while back:</p><a href="https://twitter.com/Meetup/status/436228375506472960" target="_blank"><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="1654933">
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<p> I retweeted it today and THE OFFICIAL MEETUP ACCOUNT RESPONDED:</p><a href="https://twitter.com/Meetup/status/436228375506472960" target="_blank"><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="1654938">
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</a><p><a href="https://twitter.com/Meetup/status/436228375506472960" target="_blank"> So, </a><a href="https://secure.meetup.com/create/" target="_blank">you know what you have to do.</a></p><p>Also, hats off to<i> you</i>, social media person at Meetup who is also a Machine of Death fan and who has the power to do things like this within your corporate environment! If you ever write a business book, I know a few people who could stand to read it.</p>tag:www.kickstarter.com,2008-10-09:Post/7312892014-01-27T22:19:13-05:002014-02-17T11:57:34-05:00TEN WAYS to generate targets in your games!<div class="template oembed" contenteditable="false" data-href="https://vimeo.com/85118808">
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<p><b> IN TODAY'S VIDEO</b> – in what is hopefully the first of several posts and videos about GAMEPLAY instead of SHIPPING – I go over <b>Generating Targets!</b> </p><p>Did you know there are at least TEN DIFFERENT WAYS to generate targets so that you never run out of ideas and/or people to murder? I didn't, until I listed them all out! It's a good video, check it out!!</p><p><b>Key links mentioned in the video:</b></p><p><b><a href="http://machineofdeath.net/gca" target="_blank">machineofdeath.net/gca</a> </b>– Game resources, including the manual as a PDF! Here, you can also download and print out <b>extra blank Intel Sheets</b> if you use up the whole notepad. (If you have ALREADY used up that whole notepad, STOP PLAYING GAMES and GO OUTSIDE for just a LITTLE WHILE)</p><p>It's linked on the above page too, but <b><a href="http://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmzCnhq_hjVedGp5QTcxX0xiN0pzZ3cxX09qdU8teGc&amp;usp=sharing" target="_blank">here's the direct link to the intel spreadsheet</a>! </b>You can read other people's entries or add your own! NO RULES. JUST RIGHT</p><p><b><a href="http://intel.machineofdeath.net" target="_blank">intel.machineofdeath.net</a> </b>– The randomizer "app" (really a webpage)! You can access it from any phone OR just on your computer. You cannot access this without a computer, it WILL NOT WORK. The timer music is on here too!</p><h1 id="h:game-contents-checkl">GAME CONTENTS CHECKLIST</h1><p>A few people have written to ask if they're supposed to have duplicate Gift Cards in the base game (yes, there are 2 or 3 of each one); where the blank cards are (in the Viper Hacksaw deck); or whether a die is supposed to come with the game (um, yes). </p><p>So for your handy reference I present here the GAME CONTENTS CHECKLIST.<b> First, the base game!</b></p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="1570575">
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<p> Here's the <b>Side Effects expansions </b>(what we called the Sidecar Box in the Kickstarter):</p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="1570676">
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<p> And finally, the <b>Deluxe Box:</b></p><div class="template asset" contenteditable="false" data-id="1570578">
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<p>If you're missing anything please let me know! If you're missing the plastic bag, though, I'm not going to send you another one. You can manage.</p><h1 id="h:bonus-link-planet-mo">Bonus Link: Planet Money!</h1><p>The shirt I'm wearing in the video above came from another Kickstarter, the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/planetmoney/planet-money-t-shirt" target="_blank">Planet Money T-Shirt</a>! As part of the campaign for the shirt, the Planet Money radio reporters traveled the world, from the cotton fields to the weaving plant to the container yards, following the path that a T-shirt takes from <i>seed</i> to <i>body</i>.</p><p>I personally found it really interesting, because while they were interviewing factory workers in Bangladesh, I was at our own factory in China! And while they were<i> breezing through </i>customs in Columbia, I was wrangling with customs in Long Beach. </p><p>Their reporting (radio stories, plus bonus videos) is all at <a href="http://planetmoney.com/shirt!" target="_blank">planetmoney.com/shirt!</a> I recommend checking it out, it is GOOD and INTERESTING.</p><p><i>SHIPPING CONTINUES!!</i></p>